


Pushed too far

by SteveM



Series: Building A Better World [9]
Category: Batwoman (TV 2019), Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:06:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26442421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SteveM/pseuds/SteveM
Summary: With Supergirl trapped on Apokolips something is stalking those responsible...
Relationships: Kara Danvers & Kate Kane, Kara Danvers/Kate Kane
Series: Building A Better World [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1837882
Comments: 7
Kudos: 22





	1. Chapter 1

Far below the streets of Gotham armoured feet splashed through stagnant water as the prey ran for their life. This far down the only light was dirty and second-hand at best, filtering through long-forgotten cracks from the surface but it was enough to illuminate her path as she raced through the pipes and catch-pools. Ancient and forgotten as the city built around and above them the ruins observed in mute silence her desperate scramble, the darkness briefly lit by sparks as claws found bricks hardened by time until they were as strong as iron. 

She didn’t understand what had happened. It had worked! She’d seen it work or, at least, seen the trap sprung. She’d felt the building around her shudder as cosmic forces battled to overcome Apokoliptian technology and design. She’d heard the portal snap shut, capturing their prize and she’d run with Lashina, Granny and the three remaining Parademons before the rest of this planet’s heroes could arrive. They’d won! 

Now, barely a week later, she was exhausted and aching, her body battered from both fight and flight. What pursued her was like nothing else she’d experienced, certainly no hero. Her right arm hung at her side, broken and useless where the thing had torn at her. The break she’d caused herself, a desperate act to tear free from the trap and send herself falling almost sixty feet into the storm drain. She’d thought, she’d hoped that would at least buy her some time but she’d not made it more than a turn or two when she heard it splash down behind her, still locked on her trail.

The shadows around her seemed to snap and snarl, each and every one containing her doom as she bounced like a pinball from wall to wall. Her training screamed at her, echoing in her head, demanding she stand and fight. She was a warrior! One of the Furies, the elite of lord Darkseid’s forces! She was not the sort of coward to flee from combat! Yet the fear lay heavy on her, far beyond the pain and dread of Granny’s training and punishments. What hunted her now was death itself and terror drove her on.

She burst out into a cathedral of broken stone, the natural cavern towering over her and criss-crossed with old archways and rubble where Gotham had built over itself in its hurry to grow. She sucked in an urgent breath, trying to ignore the pain in her side and the burning in her shoulder. She threw herself behind the broken remnants of a brick wall, looking back towards the tunnel. She tried to tell herself it was an ambush, that she was done with running… but she wished with her heart and soul that she was alone. That nothing came from the tunnel to face her, that she could have finally shaken the demon and find time to rest. 

Her heart thudded in her chest as she watched and waited. A minute. Two. Three. And still nothing. The tunnel remained empty, no white eyes emerging from the gloom, no hunter ready to kill its prey. Slowly, far too slowly, she felt her heart rate steady itself, finally she managed to suck in a proper, deep breath as she strove to calm her mind. She slumped back against the wall and turned, scanning the broken rubble before her for a way out. The water drained through a series of small cracks, presumably into some deeper passageway or forgotten underground river, but there was no obvious exit at ground level. She raised her eyes…

… and froze in horror as she saw it. Fifty metres away, crouched on the edge of a crumbling archway the black shape stirred as she noticed it. The eyes shone as it launched towards her, falling faster than seemed possible to crash into her with enough force to send her tumbling through the wall she’d so recently used for cover. Together they bounced across the floor, water splashing around them as she thrashed against her attacker. Her claws swiped through the air but found nothing and then, in one horrible swift motion, she felt her left arm grabbed, twisted up and popped out of its socket.

She cried out and fell forward to her stomach, both arms now useless and out of the fight. A gauntlet wrapped around her hair and pulled her to the side before shoving her face down into the shallow pool. It was barely six inches deep but that was more than enough for her to drown in and no matter how she thrashed she couldn’t shake the thing from her back. Her lungs cried out for air and her vision started to go red before her head was yanked up.

“One chance Harriet, how do I get her back!”

“I.. I… I don’t know!”

“Wrong answer!” Harriet tried to resist but a boot ground into her broken arm and she collapsed, a scream of pain turning into bubbles as she was forced back under the water. This time she was held down long enough for an involuntary attempt to breath to bring water into her lungs before she was pulled clear coughing and spluttering.

“One more time.” 

“I don’t know! Granny held the mother box! We were to meet her!”

“Tell me where and I’ll let you live.” The words were cold, harsh and devoid of any empathy or compassion. Harriet was certain now that her life depended on her next words, that this was no bluff.

“National City!”

“Bullshit.” The single word was a death sentence and Harriet fought the renewed pressure on her head. 

“No! No it’s true! With Supergirl gone it’s the safest place, last place anyone would… mmmmgggpphh… ggg… would look!” She forced herself back up, gasping for air but the hand on her head kept her lips an inch from the water.

“Where?”

“Below the opera house! There’s a sub-basement from the car park, hidden behind an access panel for the electrical system!”

For a moment the pressure eased and Harriet felt a rush of relief wash over her. Then she was shoved forward again, the water wrapping around her face and lapping at her ears as she felt the thing above her shift and two devastating kicks cracked her ankles in half. She screamed and the water rushed in to replace air, her body thrashing as she felt herself falling into oblivion.

Two hours later the stillness was disturbed once again as torches cut through the gloom. They fell on the broken body, metal gleaming in the beams.

“There!” Alex Danvers voice rang out and the DEO strike force converged on the crumpled mess of metal and flesh. One of them knelt down and ran a handheld scanner over the alien.

“She’s alive ma’am. Broken right arm, dislocated left shoulder, two broken ankles, dislocated right knee, three broken ribs and evidence of water in her lungs. Some sort of sedative in her system.”

Alex let out a breath she didn’t realise she’d been holding. “Monitor her and keep her stable, extraction team get her out of here as carefully as you can. Everyone else establish a premiere and check the area, I don’t want any more surprises.”

As the troops rushed to obey her orders Alex looked around shaking her head. She noticed the freshly broken wall, the scuff marks on the floor that spoke of the struggle, the cracked grate far above that showed her were the assailant had likely entered. But her eyes kept swinging back to the body being loaded on to the flexible stretcher and one thought kept pushing forward until she had to whisper the words just to relieve the pressure.

“Kate… what are you doing?”


	2. Chapter 2

As the sounds of the audience died away and the performers took the stage for the second act Lashina scowled in the bare corridor thirty feet below. When she’d first been offered the use of this space by one of their more well-connected Earth First members it had seemed the perfect bolt hole. A respected and well-travelled building above with a wealthy clientele meant it rarely if ever appeared on any of the usual security service watch lists and getting in and out secretly was almost trivially easy. If she’d known how far and how well the sound traveled from the performance hall above she’d have swapped it for a sewer in a heartbeat. 

She finished her patrol of the west side of the small collection of rooms and corridors that made up the forgotten warren of dressing rooms and workshops that was currently hosting herself and Granny Goodness. The tight quarters made her a little nervous but it was for the best. If they were discovered here it would make fighting some of this world’s more powerful heroes problematic but it would also limit the number that could come at them at once. That was a worthwhile trade-off and there were multiple escape routes setup if need be. Not that they had any intention of using them of course, not if they could stay hidden for another few hours.

She shook her head in quiet admiration of the Kryptonian’s strength. It had taken everything the mother box could give to trap her and pull her through a boom tube to Apokolips and it had taken this long to even start thinking of opening another tube to take them home. Not that it would have done her much good when she arrived and it brought a cruel smile to Lashina’s lips to imagine what her lord had already done to the supposedly incorruptible woman. Apokolips would break her, of that Lashina was absolutely certain. No-one, no matter how strong, could long endure what awaited any unfortunate enough to be caught there. 

But such thoughts were a distraction and Lashina tried to force them from her mind. The problem was that doing so allowed her mind to race to other concerns that she would rather ignore. Their two Parademons had never made it out of Gotham and both had triggered their self-destruct devices before getting close to the rendezvous point. Neither, it seemed, had Harriet although they had yet to hear any confirmation one way or the other. It was of course possible she’d simply run into trouble and had to improvise her own path across the country. 

Possible, yes, but unlikely Lashina thought coldly. Harriet was a capable fighter and surprisingly intelligent in her own way but blending in here on Earth was unlikely to be her strong suit. Operating human vehicles was even less likely and if she’d not made any of the pre-arranged exit routes from Gotham by now she was likely either caught or dead. The loss hurt Lashina more than she’d expected, the usual weight of failure mixed with a genuine regret. There was, of course, no room for friendships in the Furies of Apokolips but even so she’d admired the skill and, yes, loyalty of the other woman. She would, in fact, miss her once they returned home which had come as quite a surprise. 

As she turned to pace back across the long corridor that ran the length of their tiny kingdom the singing started from above and she shuddered. Song in general wasn’t something she appreciated but Earth singing was particularly grating. It was so… so energetic, so high pitched and loud and enthusiastic. It made her want to punch something and as the only options around her were all made of concrete she had to control her impulses. She took another step and every light on the entire level snapped off.

The darkness that surrounded her was total, no natural light from outside managed to penetrate this buried catacomb and she automatically reached for her side and the small portable light she always carried. Her fingers brushed against its slim housing and froze as the smallest echo reached her. She couldn’t quite place the noise, it could have been anything from a piece of paper drifting down from a table to the rustle of a cloak or the soft tread of a boot. She was, however, quite sure she’d heard it and was suddenly fully alert. Her hand slipped past the light and unhooked the handle of one whip from her belt. She let it roll out silently into the darkness, her eyes scanning frantically for any hint of an intruder. 

She looked to her right and left but saw nothing save for the small empty rooms as fractionally deeper shadows against the blackness of the corridor. She looked forward and her heart froze in her chest. There, in what she knew was a dead end, two white eyes were locked on her. She stood still for a long, painful moment as the shock worked through her system. She knew instantly who was standing before her and why. She also knew that the intruder had just done the impossible to reach that position and something in the way those blazing white eyes were locked on her was making her incredibly nervous.

Lashina sent power crackling through her whip, lighting the corridor in staccato bursts of blue white light but even as she did so the eyes moved. They raced towards her and the whip acted almost as a strobe, showing a black clad figure streaking forward, diving around her first attack almost before she’d started it. The figure bounced off the wall, spun and ducked under the follow-up shot and just like that Lashina found herself fighting hand-to-hand. 

Suddenly the whip was working against her, its movement slowing her and threatening to trip her up. Armoured hands slammed into her ribs, breaking two of them instantly, and she realised the time for weapons was long past. She dropped the still-arcing whip to the floor but even as she turned she felt an arm wrap around her shoulders, one hand on the back of her head as she was spun to smash face-first into the concrete wall.

A leg slid around hers and she was wrenched violently into the other side of the corridor, the grip on her head unbreakable as it slammed the side of her face into the unyielding concrete. She threw a punch at an exposed neck only for the creature to duck around it and turn the motion into a headbutt. The cowl smashed off her forehead and left her seeing stars as she found herself spun again back to the opposite wall. 

Time and again she tried to strike back but every blow was dodged, countered or just ignored. Those that landed seemed to cause pain but it was as if the thing attacking her simply didn’t notice or care. As she spun and crashed off the walls the blows seemed to get harder until with one almighty effort she was tossed upside down so hard her body dented the concrete. She hit with a flat back, knocking the breath out of her and jarring every muscle in her body then gravity took over and she fell straight down on to the top of her head. 

She slumped to the ground in a heap, gasping for air and shaking as she tried to pull herself back to her feet. A knee landed in the small of her back and she felt a hand grip her right wrist. As her arm was pulled back she tried to fight free and felt her attacker tense, a second hand snapped around her bicep and before she had time to relax they yanked in opposite directions. The crack of her arm breaking echoed in the corridor and her cry of pain almost seemed to be in harmony.

Instinctively she tried to squirm away and the figure holding her down shifted. She felt hands and feet move above her and realised too late what was about to happen.

“No, please!” She cried out, breaking the training of her entire life as fear rushed through her. It didn’t matter. Surgical blows shattered her knees followed a moment later by her left arm being yanked out of its socket. She collapsed to the ground writhing from the fresh pain that arrowed through her. Fingers gripped her chin and lifted her face to stare into Batwoman’s eyes. The white glow had gone leaving just the blue of Kate Kane but it was no comfort to the woman from Apokolips.

“Where was your mercy when you took her from me?” The question was ice-cold and Lashina shrank back. “You consider pain a valuable lesson don’t you? Allow me to show you how good a teacher I am.”

Lashina opened her mouth to spit defiance, to beg forgiveness, to do something or anything to avoid the death she saw written in those eyes. But once more it was too late, far too late. Batwoman reached down and picked up the still-surging whip, holding it close to her face, the blue light lending her an even more demonic look in the darkness. She moved like lightning, pulling the broken warrior into a hogtie, lashing her wrists and ankles together despite the grinding of destroyed bone and ligaments. The power surged through Lashina and the pain built and built, lending a fresh layer to the hell beneath the soaring opera in the building above.

Batwoman didn’t waste any time enjoying the sight, instead turning to step to the door she already knew was her final target. She kicked it open and stepped inside, hands crisscrossed in front of her as she crouched down and fired handheld-tasers in both directions. To the right she head the cry as the electric charge found its target and spun, dropping the weapons to snatch the metal rod from Granny Goodness’s hands before she had a chance to fire it. 

Batwoman smoothly swung the rod down and snagged it on to her belt, preferring to keep it close than risk Granny being able to reach it in a fight. She saw the old woman move with surprising speed towards her and the first punch landed in Batwoman’s stomach, knocking her back and into the far wall. Surprised at the force but far, far beyond the point of caring about such things as physical pain Batwoman simply rebounded and stepped inside the follow up, her elbow landing square in Granny’s face, knocking her backwards with a grunt of pain. 

This, though, wasn’t why Batwoman had come. She needed answers and fighting this woman to the same pitiful condition as her minions would do her no god today. She dove forwards between Granny’s outstretched hands and brought her hands around behind her neck as if she was about to kiss the old woman. The silver disks she’d palmed slapped home against Granny’s neck and Batwoman leapt clear as they sent enough power to knock Kara on her ass through the woman from Apokolips. 

The scream was a soothing balm to Kate’s soul and as her opponent fell to her knees she shot forward again and snagged the mother box from its place at Granny’s hip. Kneeling down in front of the woman at a safe distance Kate brought the Mother Box up and waved it in front of her eyes.

“Tell me how this works. Tell me how to get to Apokolips.”

“Never!”

Kate didn’t reply but sent a fresh surge of power through the woman. She grabbed her by the collar and dragged her still-writhing body out into the corridor and dropped her in front of the openly-sobbing Lashina. 

“I’ve done this to her already. You both have many more bones I can break.”

“I… no!” Granny snarled then to her surprise she saw Batwoman reach down not to her but to Lashina. She took the smallest finger on Lashina’s left hand almost delicately in the armoured gloves and without a word snapped it back. The pop somehow managed to be heard above the crackle of the whip and the fresh scream of pain.

Batwoman didn’t even ask a question. Instead she just moved to the next finger and without pausing repeated the process. As she took the third Granny realised that what stood before them wasn’t a human in a suit, not anymore. They’d forged something dreadful and if she didn’t stop it then none of them would live to see their home again. More importantly perhaps the information needed was almost certainly going to result in a suicide trip. Let this one go to Apokolips, Lord Darkseid would deal with her!

“Very well!” Granny called and Batwoman turned an almost bored expression on her.

“Good. But understand this. Once we are done you will both be turned over to the DEO. If, for any reason, I don’t come back then they will send you one by one through a teleport arch into the cold, hard vacuum of space and those that are still waiting their turn get to watch the others die in agony as your eyes freeze and your blood boils.” She held up the mother box expectantly. “Shall we begin?”


	3. Chapter 3

“Prisoners secured in the med bay.” The squad commander fell into step beside Alex as she stormed through the heart of the DEO to the ops room. “We think they’ll be okay but the younger one…. might need some time.”

“Understood.” Alex said grimly. “Keep a strong guard presence around both of them, full forcefield containment at all times and no-one, not even the medics, go in to attend without an armed escort.”

“Yes Ma’am!” The commander saluted and spun away, hiding her smile at having successfully predicted the orders before reporting in. Alex walked into the huge ops room and almost stopped dead at the black-clad figure standing at the far end. She resisted her instinctive reaction to draw her sidearm and instead marched up and gestured angrily to the stairs.

“Conference room, now.” The words were almost a snarl but Batwoman didn’t really seem to notice, instead turning and leading the way up to the glass meeting space. Once the door was sealed behind them and the privacy field turned on Alex grabbed Batwoman’s arm and spun her round.

“What the hell are you doing Kate! You’re leaving tortured bodies all over the damn country, how long do you think that’s going to stay quiet for?”

“There won’t be any more, I’ve got what I need.” Alex almost recoiled at the lack of emotion in Kate’s voice. She’d expected anger or fear or pain but this… this was as if she was talking to a stranger. Batwoman held up a metal box and Alex recognised it at once.

“A mother box? Is that what…. Kate, no!”

“No?” Suddenly there was a flash of emotion from behind the cowl, blue eyes narrowing. “Don’t you dare say that.”

“Why not? Are you going to torture me too?” Alex stood her ground and went toe to toe with the Bat. “You going to beat me bloody and leave me wired up to the mains if you don’t get your way?”

“No. They played their part and got what they deserved. But you won’t stop me.”

“Kate this is suicide!” Alex snapped and for the first time Kate saw the pain behind her sister-in-law’s eyes. “Going to Apokolips… you barely escaped the last time and that was with Kara by your side. Without her…” Alex felt her breath catch in her throat and a shudder passed through her. Suddenly her knees went weak and to her surprise she found Kate’s arms around her, helping her down into a chair. She looked up and saw Batwoman kneeling by her side. “I… I can’t… I can’t lose you both.”

“You won’t.” Kate spoke quietly but there was such certainty in her voice Alex almost laughed at the absurdity of it. “I’ll bring her back Alex. I promise.”

“How?” Alex shivered as she voiced a fear she’d kept cradled close to her heart since she’d heard of the trap in Gotham a week ago. “What can you do against…. Against that?” She waved her hand at the ceiling and the gulf of space beyond.

“Everything. I did it before, remember? Nothing and no-one in this universe is taking Kara from me, from us. Not while there’s any life left in me.”

“That’s not a plan.” Alex pointed out weakly.

“No but you’re not going to like the plan.”

“Tell me.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes.”

Kate sighed and showed her the mother box again. “Well step one was to figure out how to get to Apokolips. And here it is. Step two… has been underway for a few days now.”

“And step two is…?”

Kate gave another sigh and stood up, moving to the comms panel built in to the table and tapped a button. “Brainy, could you bring it to the conference room please?”

“Of course.” Brainy’s voice came back clearly through the speaker and Alex found herself very confused. 

“Bring.. what here? Wait, why does Brainy know what ‘it’ is?”

“I did say you weren’t going to like this.” Kate reminded her as the door swung open and Brainy walked in, a small silver case in his hand.

“I apologise for the size, it’s the best I could do in such a short time with my efforts mostly going in to the armour and defensive systems.” He cracked the lid and placed the case on the floor. For a second nothing happened then a series of metal panels rose up, sliding and twisting out in ways that seemed to defy three dimensional space. It reminded Alex of Kara’s microscopic suit only much, much larger. The black plates came together to form a familiar, sleek and clearly battle-ready Batsuit.

“As per your orders director we’ve reconfigured the future Batsuit with the best 30th century technological advances we can duplicate using current technology. Of course this makes it even more of an anachronism than it already was but I’m sure Batwoman will not let it fall into the wrong hands.”

Alex wondered for a moment if she was losing her mind. As *she’d* ordered? She didn’t remember doing any such thing… but then the trail of destruction left behind over the last week swam to the front of her mind and she looked at Kate. The small answering nod and slightly ashamed look in her eyes was all the confirmation Alex needed.

“I’m assuming that you need to brief Batwoman on the new suit?” Alex asked.

“It would be a good idea, yes.”

“In that case I’ll leave you to it.” Alex headed for the door then paused as if a thought had just struck her. “Agent Doxx, could you come with me for a moment?”

When they were outside she gestured him into a small alcove just to the side of the meeting room. She lowered both her voice and her head, very much getting inside his personal space.

“When did you know?”

“Director?” 

“Don’t try that with me, not today.” Alex said and the weariness in her voice surprised Brainy. “I’m assuming that those orders were sent electronically?”

“Yes, all your codes were intact.”

“I’m sure they were. But you’re a twelfth level intellect. You’re usually half a dozen steps ahead of us, it’s one of your more irritating qualities. You must have known that someone with sufficient motivation, resources and abilities could have faked them. Yet you never checked with me…”

“To what end would faking the creation of a superior Batsuit benefit anyone who we would not want to have one?” Brainy said, his face a study in neutrality. “With how busy you’ve been in the last few days it seemed a logical conclusion that you would try to be as efficient as possible in your communication even if such a move would be outside of your normal pattern.”

Alex stared at him for several long seconds then the ghost of a smile passed over her lips. “Impeccable reasoning Brainy, as always.”

“Thank you. May I brief Batwoman on the new suit now?”

“Yes.” Just before he could move Alex grabbed his arm and for the first time since Kara had been taken Brainy saw the glint of hope in her eyes. “Does she have a chance?”

“There’s always a chance Alex. And with our help the odds can only improve.” Brainy replied, hesitating before adding: “I want her back too. We all do.”

Alex bit her lip, wanting nothing more than to hug the strange alien she’d quickly become used to calling her friend. But she couldn’t. She knew if she did the tears would start and she feared they may never stop. Instead she collected her courage, nodded her thanks and moved back to the stairs and down to the ops centre, leaving Brainy to return to the conference room.

“Is she alright?” Alex asked and Brainy sighed.

“No. But she will not interfere in your mission.”

“Good. And thank you for doing this.”

“Supergirl in Darkseid’s hands… even if she was not my friend that would be a threat we desperately need to avoid.”

“So let’s get on with it.” Kate said as a sense of urgency lifted her voice. “What do I need to know?”

“We’ll go through the details in a moment but to summarise the suit’s flight systems have been upgraded, the armour has been reinforced with a new crystalline matrix designed to better reflect and absorb all kinds of energy weapon and there’s a new kinetic energy buffer.”

“You lost me at the last one.” Kate admitted.

“Put simply it will absorb the force of impacts and store it. If needed it can augment your own blows or the suit will use it to supplement its own power supplies.”

“Useful. Anything else?”

“Yes.” Brainy looked around almost guiltily and lowered his voice. “In the future we have at least some understanding of how the mother box works. Not all of it of course but enough to interface to one.” He tapped the side of the suit and a thin compartment slid open on the right thigh. “This will store it securely and connect it to the rest of the computer systems. That should allow you to travel back without needing to expose the mother box itself to danger.”

“Nicely done.” Kate said with quiet admiration. “Is this one wearable without another suit under it?”

“Quite. In fact it would likely be considerably more efficient that way.” Kate reached for her throat to start stripping down and was surprised to find Brainy’s hand wrapped around hers. “There’s one more thing…”

She looked at him and saw an expression she couldn’t quite place. It was almost as if Brainy was fighting with himself. “The suit is as advanced as I can make it but it is still 21st century technology. You may need something more…”

She saw the worry in his eyes, felt the weight in her palm and understood. “Thank you Brainy. For everything.” Instinctively she reached out and embraced the Coluan. “We’ll get her back, I promise.”

Somewhat awkwardly he returned the gesture and Kate knew better than to hold it too long. Brainy still hadn’t quite mastered such, in his words, primitive interactions and the last thing she wanted to do was confuse him now. “Alright, come on, show me how this all works.”

Half an hour later Alex looked up at the sound of armoured boots hitting metal and glass stairs and couldn’t help but gasp. She’d seen the future batsuit before of course but this… this was something new. She suspected Kate might have passed on some aesthetic requests to Brainy along with the functional improvements. It was sleek but vicious, all angles and sharp edges with no place for anything as frivolous as a cape. A full-face mask hiding her features leaving only the eyes a gleaming deep, blood red. The sole splash of colour was a silver logo on the chest that Alex recognised immediately. The whole universe probably recognised it come to that as it had shone in countless skies to end the war of light. The bat logo entwined with the sigil of the House of El, a beacon of hope in the dark. Somehow the suit seemed to move with purpose, a tool honed for a single use and worn by a woman with that same singular focus. 

“Everything working?” Alex asked quietly as she moved to meet Kate on the balcony that would normally act as Supergirl’s landing pad. 

“As much as we can test without risking blowing holes in your building, yes.” Kate replied and her voice came out as a harsh whipcrack, the suit’s new voice changer obviously tuned for intimidation as much as concealment. 

“You don’t have to do this alone you know. The League would…”

“Yes, I know.” Kate hesitated then carefully reached out to take Alex’s hand in one clawed gauntlet. “But I’ve seen Apokolips. The more of us go the higher the chance we don’t all make it back.”

“And what if you don’t make it?”

“Then you’ve still got a fighting chance if Darkseid comes for Earth. Besides I’m not going there to fight, despite how this looks. Get in, get Kara, get out… that’s the plan.”

“At least let me come along. We’ve got some suit tech here that…”

“No.” Kate shook her head. “Sorry Alex but it wouldn’t be enough. And you’re needed here in case this goes south.” She gently squeezed Alex’s hand. “You were a Green Lantern, Alex Danvers. You flew into the sun to rescue your sister. You refused to let fear conquer you no matter what it tried. They’re going to need that strength to help them get through what comes next.”

“But… Kara….”

“I know.” Kate said and for the first time that day Alex heard the tremble in her voice. “I’ll find a way Alex. I’ll get her back. For all of us.”

“No.” Alex whispered wishing desperately that she’d hugged her sister-in-law before she’d put on this new suit. “Not for us. Get her back for you. I don’t think there’s a force in this universe that can stop the two of you being together. And if this Darkseid thinks he’s the exception to that he’s got one hell of a shock coming!” She reached out and squeezed Kate’s shoulder. “Go kick his ass.”

Alex let go and stepped back, retreating to the safety of the glass doors to stand by Brainy. Batwoman raised her left arm and a hologram control pad appeared floating in mid-air. She tapped a few controls and paused, taking one last look around National City, around her homeworld before tapping the last control. Instantly a boom tube cracked into existence behind her and before she lost her nerve she turned and leapt through it, vanishing from sight as it slammed shut behind her.


	4. Chapter 4

The smell of Apokolips washed over Kate and almost sent her to her knees. The mix of ash, volcanic fumes from the lava that rolled lazily below the rocky outcroppings and the metallic edge of so many weapons of war being forged was powerful but it was the memories it brought back that carried so much force. There had been nights where she’d woken in a frenzy of movement, her body trying to run from the memories her mind couldn’t help replay as sweat poured from her and her breath came in ragged gasps. Those fears had been quelled by the woman who was always at her side, strong arms wrapping around her, holding her close and soothing the fear until she’d come back to herself, settled in to the embrace and drifted back to sleep. Now there was a space at her side and a hole in her heart… but somewhere on this planet Kara Zor-El was waiting for her and no-one would stand in her way.

She looked around as the bright light from the boom tube faded and found herself standing in a large underground room seemingly hewn from solid rock. On the walls were carved images of battle, war and death clearly intended to inspire troops on their way to the same fate. The only way out seemed to be a long, straight staircase at the far end but she took a few precious minutes to check the walls with every sensor Brainy had managed to cram into the cowl. When no hidden exits, holes or passages revealed themselves she climbed the stairs cautiously one by one trying to spot any potential trap.

To her surprise she found none but as she crested the final rise she realised that such things were hardly necessary. The staircase brought her out on a raised platform in the centre of what looked like an odd city. Far below there were streets weaving their way through dark canyons and thronged with people living what lives they could. The air was surprisingly clear as if some unseen bubble surrounded them and there, waiting for her like a statue, was Darkseid himself.

“So, you have returned to my home.” His voice was the same smooth, deep rumble that had haunted her nightmares and she was suddenly grateful for the cowl hiding her reaction. Just for a moment she felt her instincts trying to tug her away from the huge figure but she ignored them. “Now why, I wonder, would you take such a foolish action?”

“You know why. You broke your oath. You took Kara Zor-El.”

“She came here and attacked my people unprovoked. Look around you if you doubt my word.”

Kate risked a quick look and it was only then that she realised the edges of the wide space weren’t flat or smooth. Small remains poked up, some as much as two or even three feet tall. Hints at the foundations of something larger, something grander…

“You stand in the ruins of our orphanage, where those taken in by Apokolips were given new life and purpose. The Kryptonian destroyed it and for the safety of my people needed to be dealt with.”

Kate felt her heart freeze… but no, no he wouldn’t have killed her. She was sure of that, sure that she’d know. “Give her back to me and we will leave in peace. Otherwise…” She raised her left arm and called up the detonation sequence to the hellspores. 

“You, too, come here offering only violence? I’m disappointed.” Darkseid took a step forward, shaking his head and sounding genuinely saddened. “While we could not disarm the hellspores we could block your primitive signal even with you here on Apokolips. That particular threat no longer carries any weight. However it is also not necessary. You wish Kara Zor-El? You will have her.”

He gestured and from somewhere far, far above a shooting star fell to the surface of Apokolips. The familiar blonde hair shone like a beacon among the greys and reds of the world around them and Kara touched down smoothly in front of Kate. She wore the suit that Kate knew so well, though the cape had been replaced with a black one that came down almost to the ground and the symbol on her chest was the stylised version of a black Omega symbol that Darkseid seemed to favour. 

“Kara…” Kate whispered in disbelief then shook herself out of her shock. This might be their only chance and she rushed forward to grab her wife’s hand. “Come on, we’ve got to get out of here.”

It was like trying to pull a mountain. Kara stayed precisely where she was and the cold, distant look in her eyes chilled Kate’s heart. “My lord?”

“No…” Kate felt tears prick her eyes as Kara half-turned to direct the question at Darkseid. It wasn’t possible… it couldn’t be!

“This woman has attacked our forces, stolen our technology and invaded our home. Your duty is clear Captain.” Darkseid’s eyes glowed an unsettling deep purple as he focused his attention on the scene before him. “Kill her slowly.”

The blow hit Kate in the stomach before she had time to think. She felt the suit sing as it tried to absorb the power behind the punch but all it seemed to do was take the edge off. She flew backwards, Kara letting go of her hand to allow the black-clad figure to hurtle up and across the platform before crashing down a few metres from the edge. Once again the newly-modified Batsuit did its job, the energy it had just absorbed now helping to cushion its wearer from the impact but there was no hiding the pain.

Kate rolled to her right and scrambled back to her feet as Kara casually stalked her prey. Kate looked around for something, anything to help her… but this was Supergirl. No matter how much tech she brought along to the fight Kate was under no illusions that she could go toe to toe with this woman. She was almost certain the only reason she’d survived the first punch was Darkseid’s order to prolong the death sentence. Her roll had taken her almost to the edge of the platform and just beyond the crowded streets below she saw the all-too-familiar glow of lava-filled canyons snaking through the shattered landscape. 

“Kara, come on, you know me…” Kate thought she saw the slightest hesitation and whether it existed or not she somehow managed to duck the next punch and whirl away, dancing on the lip of the drop. “You know this!” She tapped the symbol on her chest and this time she was sure she saw the pause before having to leap and tumble over a front kick that would have sent her hurtling down to the crowd who seemed to be oblivious to the fight going on above their heads.

“Alright… catch me if you can!” Kate said, trying despite all evidence to the contrary to keep a note of optimism in her voice. She lept from the platform and felt the suit come alive, thrusters in the boots firing as the small, hard gliding wings snapped into position over her back. It felt faster, much faster, than the last time she’d flown here but it seemed to respond to her every thought and she rolled and tumbled through the walls of rock as if born to it.

She glanced back and to her surprise didn’t see Kara following her. Instinctively she dodged to the left, expecting an unseen attack from above but it never came. She risked a look up and saw nothing but empty sky, albeit the charred, fire-tinged blackness of Apokolips. Before she could think where Kara might be she burst out over the edge of the city and found herself racing over rivers of lava, the heat rising inside the suit. Still there was no sign of Kara and Kate started to worry that she’d somehow lost her. Surely not but… but no matter where she looked Kate couldn’t spot her.

Without warning she burst from the canyon she’d been following and the sight before her made her gasp. A small island of broken rock rose like a mushroom from a lake of fire and death. Here the lava was somehow hotter and flowed so quickly it almost looked like water, waves of flame bursting upwards were two streams met at speed. Kate looked to her right and froze.

There, pacing her with no apparent effort, was Supergirl. Except she wasn’t flying, not as Kate was used to seeing. Instead she matched Kate’s reckless speed standing vertical in the air, her arms crossed as if bored and her eyes were glowing as red as the lake below them. Kate tried to roll but Kara’s heat vision found the spot where her glide wings attached to the suit, severing the right one instantly. Kate tumbled from the sky, jets flaring as she tried to retain some sort of control. 

The horizon spun and she tried to calm herself, expecting at any moment a second blast to end her life. But even if it came that wasn’t the first problem she needed to address. She focused on her target, ignored the crazy angles the world outside was moving at and timed one big boost from the jets mounted in her gauntlets. It forced her upwards in a vertical climb and she threw everything the suit had into the jet boots, clawing for altitude. The stone wall of the island raced by her and she passed so close to the edge it grazed her fingers but she was, at least above it. She tried to adjust the hand jets to start landing but before she could do more than start to angle back down the second blast of heat vision she’d been dreading carved through the other wing of the suit followed by a third to the right boot, severing the thruster module from its power source.

She fell out of control but thankfully tumbling forward, her desperate attempt at a controlled landing having given her just enough momentum. She hit hard despite her best efforts but at least she hit the island, scrambling to try and slow down until her back crashed into a large outcropping and she came to a jarring stop. Gasping she looked up and saw Kara land in front of her, cape streaming behind her in the hot wind burning up from the lake of fire below.

“Kara… don’t you know me?” Kate asked desperately as she scrambled back to her feet.

“Should I?” The voice was cold and hard, a million miles away from the woman Kate held in her heart. And yet… it was still a question wasn’t it? Maybe that was enough, maybe that would give her at least a chance of finding a way in.

“Yes.” The word contained such pain and loss that just for a moment Kara hesitated in her approach. “You’re the woman I love, the woman I married. We’ve crossed galaxies, hell whole realities to find each other, you’ve brought me back from death!”

A shadow crossed Kara’s face as if a memory was trying to surface only for her to shake it away again. She drew a deep breath, clearly intending to freeze-breath Kate off the edge of the island and Kate reluctantly hurled a sonic Batarang into the rock between them. It let out a barrage of ultrasonic pulses designed specifically to overload Supergirl’s senses and Kara immediately recoiled, her hands clapped over her ears.

“I don’t want to do this Kara. Please….” Kate broke off and dove to the right as Kara hurled a handful of gravel at both the Batarang and Kate herself. Each tiny stone chip was moving so quickly it burst into flame just from the force of the air it carved through and the Batarang dissolved under the attack. Instantly Kara launched herself forward, catching Kate around the waist and rolling across the rocky ground.

The suit did its best to absorb the force but Kate was already horribly aware that there were limits to what it could do. She gritted her teeth as she felt Kara’s hands slide over her chest towards her throat and managed to trigger the thin layer of conductors built into the suit’s surface. All the energy it had stored lashed out in a crackling net that threw Supergirl back and over the edge. To Kate’s horror she dropped from sight towards the waiting lava lake.

“No!” Kate lunged forward instinctively then forced herself to stop her charge. Sure enough, seconds later, Supergirl rose slowly into sight unharmed, though her right hand was burning from the lava encasing it. The smile on her face was terrifying and Kate triggered the one remaining jet boot as Kara raced towards her, jumping clear over the onrushing girl of steel to land slightly awkwardly behind her. 

Even as her feet touched back down Kate knew she’d made a potentially fatal mistake. She could practically feel the fingers at her neck and collapsed forward, the punch coming close enough to snap the tip of the right bat ear from the cowl. She scrambled on the ground, desperately looking for space, each movement barely an instant ahead of the fiery fist crashing into the ground she’d been lying on. 

It couldn’t last and sure enough Kate felt red hot knuckled scrape down her ribs, the stink of scorched metal reaching her even above the background smell of Apokolips. As she pulled her legs up under her another blow landed on the back of her ankle, burning out the one remaining thruster. She flipped to land on her back, looking up at the oddly still face she knew so well as the fist pulled back for a fatal blow. Kate raised her right hand, palm up towards Kara as if trying to block the punch… and a thick green goo shot out from a launcher just under her wrist.

It splattered into Kara’s face and instantly encased her face in a stretchy mask that sealed to her skin, cutting off her air. The unexpected attack was enough to catch her off guard and she stumbled backwards, the fingers of her left hand clawing at the edge of the goop. Unable to find a seam on which to exert pressure she reached up with her still-flaming right hand and placed her palm against the goo. Instantly it started to smoulder then burst into fire, falling away in a curtain of ash as Kara gulped a deep breath and refocused on the sprawled Batwoman on the ground before her. Kate had taken the opportunity to pull a sonic blaster from a hidden holster and had it lined up on Supergirl, the whine of its charge slicing through the bubbling roar of fire surrounding them… and slowly she lowered it.

“Enough.” Kate got to her feet and took a long look at the sonic blaster in her hand, turning it off as she did so. “I won’t fight you Kara. If you want to kill me…. Kill me. If the woman I love is that lost it’ll be a mercy.” She hurled the blaster over the edge of the island, heard it bounce off a rock outcrop before dropping down to land with a sizzling splash in the lave lake far below.

Kara stalked forward, her eyes glowing red but she didn’t fry her prey on the spot. Instead she reached out and wrapped her hand around Kate’s throat, squeezing hard enough to make breathing difficult but not impossible.

“Who ARE you?” Kara demanded and Kate tried to stay calm, tried not to fight too hard for a breath, tried to relax as best she could. 

“I’m your wife.” 

“And… and who am I?”

“You’re….” Kate paused and felt the fingers at her neck twitch in impatience. Still she knew she needed the right words, the right answer to break through… and in a single crystal-clear moment she realised what that could be. “You’re loved. Unconditionally. Isn’t that enough?”

Kara froze and Kate saw the war raging behind those beautiful blue eyes. Whether it would be enough she didn’t know but it had been the right thing to say. No expectations, none of the weight that came with Supergirl or the Girl of Steel or the Paragon of Hope. None of the heartbreak and loss that Kara Zor-El carried with her. None of the frustrations and control that Kara Danvers had to live with. Just acceptance of who and what she was.

“…. Kate….?” Kara’s voice was a whisper as something flickered deep down in the depths of her soul. “You… you came…?”

“I’ll always find you my love. You know that.” Kate said gently and felt Kara’s fingers slacken. Instantly she slapped one armoured hand over Kara’s bare skin and held her in place, though she tried her best to make it look like she was fighting off the final blow.

“What…?” Kara looked more confused and hurt with every passing second and Kate knew she needed to act quickly.

“Remember the Earth custom when we’re married?” She whispered the question and Kara frowned then cast a quick glance at the hand ‘fighting’ hers. She narrowed her eyes and looked beneath the suit… and then looked back at Kate’s knowing eyes in shock. Those eyes flicked just for an instant to the right and Kara followed her gaze, made out the tiny gleam of the spy drone against the dark sky.

“Lord Darkseid warned me you’d try to trick me.” Kara said with a sneer that Kate thought looked worryingly real. “That humans are only known for two things.”

“And what… might… those… be?” Kate wheezed then gasped as Kara lifted her up by the neck, her feet dangling above the ground.

“Being astonishingly inventive liars.”

“And… and…. And the… second?”

Kara gave her captive a cold smile that froze Kate’s heart. Without any apparent effort she marched to the edge and extended her arm, dangling Kate over the drop to the lava below. Her free hand came up and grabbed the edge of the metal cowl, tensed and with one move ripped the entire helmet section clear. Kate gagged in the unfiltered air of Apokolips, her face soaked with sweat, her eyes locked on Kara’s pleading for mercy. 

“Being somewhat… flamable.” The words were soft, almost seductive… then Kara let go. Kate felt herself drop, falling feet first towards the lake of fire and an agonising death. The suit’s jets were dead and with the helmet gone she had no protection from the immense heat boiling up to meet her. She flailed her arms and legs, looking for something, anything to grab on to but Kara had picked her spot well. The nearest outcrop was a dozen feet away and there wasn’t enough time to grab her grapple for a last, desperate attempt to save her life. Instead she looked up one last time to see Kara’s face, trying to fix her beauty and peace in her mind before she hit the lava, dropped beneath the surface and was swallowed in a tall gout of flame.


	5. Chapter 5

Kara stood and watched for two minutes to ensure there was no trickery then took off and flew slowly back to where her Lord waited for her. She landed smoothly on the wide platform, took two steps forward and knelt before him. 

“It is done Lord Darkseid.” She tossed the remains of the helmet and it rolled to a stop at his feet. “The interloper is dead.”

“Yes, I saw your performance. Impressive though your… conditioning still needs work.”

“I look forward to it my Lord.”

“Rise, Kara Zor-El and walk with me.” Darkseid moved forward and Kara fell into step alongside him as they headed down the long staircase. “Do you know why you are so prized?”

“No my lord.”

“You are the rarest of beings in this Universe. Power and strength beyond measure and the determination to succeed. You have only been lacking a meaning to your life. A purpose to drive you and so you clung to childish ideals of good and evil.”

They entered the huge cavern at the foot of the stairs and Darkseid led her to one of the carvings about a third of the way down the chamber. “Thanks to DeSaad’s work you have been freed from such failings. I offer you the chance to learn why if you wish.”

“I would.”

He gestured to the carving which showed a stylised model of a galaxy though when Kara looked closely she noticed that what should have been individual stars were in truth their own galaxies represented in surprising detail. Around the edge of what she suddenly realised was the universe a wall of stone figures stood, mixed and layered on top of each other with each small face locked in an expression of eternal agony.

“The source wall. Behind it lies the key to the Anti-Life equation.” He snorted dismissively at the name and reached out to place a hand just beyond the carved wall. “A ridiculous name bestowed by High Father, it is the exact opposite. With it I will control the minds of all sentient beings and the universe will finally know peace. Life will be preserved and guided to achieve its true potential.”

He moved his hand, tapping the wall with a fingertip. “You will be the key to unlocking it. When you are ready you will enter this room again at the head of my forces. You will guide them across the Universe to the source wall… and tear it down.” His eyes gleamed in the darkness and he could clearly picture the moment as clearly as if it were a memory. “Your achievements will become the legends that our new reality will be built upon.”

“They already are.” The voice slid from the darkness to one side of the staircase. “Only it’s not, and never will be, your reality.” A shadow moved and Batwoman stepped into the dim light, her head exposed, the suit battered and burnt but very much alive.

“Impossible.” Darkseid growled.

“You get used to it.” This time the words came from behind him and were accompanied by a punch from Kara that sent the ruler of Apokolips staggering back into the carving he’d so recently been lecturing her on. 

“No…” 

“Yes.” Kara corrected mildly, moving forward at super speed to deliver a series of rapid fire punches to his gut before finishing with an uppercut and dashing away before the first return blow could even be thrown. She finished standing beside Kate and the room seemed to become a little brighter.

“How did you survive?” For the first time since they’d met him Darkseid seemed to be genuinely shocked. 

“Love.” Kate said with a sideways smile at Kara then she clenched her left hand into a fist. A glowing field spread over her armour and formed an almost skintight layer over her body. As it reached her feet she lifted into the air and floated just off the ground. With an evil grin she dove fist first towards Darkseid who set himself to swat the bothersome insect. As he threw one world ending punch her flight shifted, arcing up and away to leave a Batarang attached to his outstretched arm. A Batarang that was flashing red….

The explosion pulled a snarl of anger from Darkseid, more at the insult than any actual pain. Half a dozen other explosions followed almost immediately as Kate threw more of the weapons into the floor around the ruler of Apokolips. These blew apart into fountains of smoke, turning the underground space into a mass of shifting shapes and scattered pools of light.

As he turned to track her flight a fist slammed into his gut with unbelievable force, rocking him back just in time for a literal flying knee to catch him in the chin. Hands grabbed the front of his uniform and he found himself hurled the width of the room to smash into another of the carved images. Before he could regain his feet Kara was on him, fists slamming down into his face and to his shock he heard the crack of his nose breaking beneath her fury.

His eyes glowed and in an instant Kara vanished, throwing herself backwards into the smoke-filled gloom. He held his ground, pushing himself back to his feet and keeping the wall at his back to prevent her flanking him. From his right came a sudden ball of energy which slammed into his side and sent him stumbling backward. The smoke cleared for a moment to reveal Batwoman with her arm extended and a metal barrel seemingly growing from the suit. As Darkseid turned towards her she dove into the wall of smoke and vanished, leaving behind a single beeping Batarang scything through the air to hit him on the bridge of the nose and explode with a blinding flash of light.

Before he could clear his vision Supergirl was behind his now-exposed back, hands wrapping around his forehead as she yanked him backwards, pulling him down to land on top of her knees as she cracked his spine against her invulnerable body. She heaved and turned the drop into a roll, kicking him away to land chest first and upside-down into the wall. As he slid down towards the ground she was already on her feet and caught him with a crushing kick in the same spot her knees had just hit. 

With an angry snarl Darkseid rolled as his shoulder hit the ground, coming to his feet and tapping a control on his arm. Instantly the room filled with blazing light and hidden suction emptied the smoke in a heartbeat. Faced with a clearly furious Darkseid Kara shot to Kate’s side and held out a hand towards her wife.

“Time to go!” Kara said and Kate didn’t waste time replying. Her hand was already flying over her gauntlet and behind them a boom tube snapped open, its fury roaring in the confined space, the rush of air sending their capes streaming as it tugged urgently at them both. At that moment Darkseid’s eyes glowed once more and he let his omega beams fly only to find, to his astonishment, that they were met by Kara’s heat vision.

“Impossible!” He growled and forced more power into a weapon that should disintegrate whoever he willed.

“Give me the mother box!” Kara called and Kate didn’t hesitate, triggering the thigh holster, yanking the silver box out and slapping it into Kara’s outstretched palm. Behind them the boom tube roared and Kara let her fingers trail over the slightly raised surface, checking it felt just like she expected it to.

“You really should rethink how you brainwash people!” Kara said through gritted teeth, her heat vision boiling the air between her and Darkseid. “Letting them know how your tech works could really bite you in the ass!” She tapped in a sequence without breaking her lethal staring contest and felt the mother box start to vibrate in her hand. She backed up slowly, keeping her body between Darkseid and Kate, the frequency of the vibrations increased quickly and she paid careful attention to their speed.

“You might want to run now.” She said and her voice was as cold as a crypt. She tossed the mother box to the far side of the room as she snapped off her heat vision. In a heartbeat she turned and grabbed Kate around the waist before hurling them both into the boom tube before Darkseid’s omega beams could close the distance. Apokolips rushed away from them but as the tube closed quickly behind them Kate caught a glimpse of a blinding purple flash and flame boiling past the entrance.

The next thing she knew she was falling, Kara’s arms wrapped around her and the blonde turning to make sure she hit first. There was the jarring shock of a quick stop and Kate took a deep breath of the clean air, looking around to see the familiar concrete balcony sticking out from the side of the DEO. 

“Hey.” Kara whispered and reached up to caress Kate’s cheek. “You okay?”

“Me? I came to save you remember?”

“You’re the one I threw into a lava lake!”

“Like that would stop me.”

“Okay, you’re fine!” Kara grinned at the confidence shining from her wife who returned the smile then dove down to kiss her. For Kara it was like coming to the surface of an ocean after being underwater for her entire life. Suddenly everything seemed sharp and clear as if experiencing it for the first time. It therefore came as a surprise when she was rudely interrupted by someone throwing what turned out to be a DEO field jacket over her head.

“Hey!”

“Clear the room!” Alex’s order echoed around the ops centre and out across the rooftops of National City. It was only then that Kara’s mind caught up with current events. She was lying in - or at least, just outside - the DEO in full Supergirl mode with her wife lying on top of her kissing her. Her wife who was currently very, very definitely not wearing a cowl. Granted she suspected most of the DEO regulars had probably guessed that particular connection by now but that was very different to giving them confirmation!

The jacket lifted slightly as Alex slid Batwoman’s regular cowl underneath it. There was a complicated moment as Kate tried to slip it on without letting the jacket fall away or having to move her body more than about an inch from Kara but soon enough it was in place well enough to hide her face and they stood up still wrapped in each other’s arms. 

“Thanks.” Kate whispered to Alex who was standing at the doorway with a mix of exasperation, pride and relief on her face.

“You brought her back, pretty sure I owe you a lot more than a jacket.” Alex said and the quiver in her voice was proof how close she was to losing control.

“Never in doubt.” Kate said with a crooked grin before reluctantly letting Alex have her reunion with her sister as Kate moved to talk to the lurking Brainy.

“You are a genius.” She said and had to laugh at the rather insulted look on Brainy’s face. “Sorry, I know that’s a downgrade from twelfth level intellect but you know what I mean.”

“Everything worked satisfactorily then?”

“We’re here aren’t we? And integrating Lena’s tech that quickly was remarkable. Which reminds me…” She triggered the gauntlet on her left hand to retract and slid something from her finger. “One legion ring, brought back in one piece as promised.”

“Thank you.” Brainy said in the same detached tone but she noticed how quickly he took the offered ring and slipped it back onto his own hand. “Did it come in useful?”

“Saved my life. And Kara’s. For the record both it and its forcefield can survive a dunking in a lake of Apokoliptian lava.”

“I… was not aware of that.” Brainy sounded genuinely shocked and before he could ask any more questions Kate cut him off.

“You should be proud Brainy, you saved us both today.” Kate turned around to see her wife walking towards her and it was obvious that the girl of steel was pretty much done for the day.

“Want to get out of here?” Kate asked and saw a tired smile on Kara’s face.

“Yeah, I can just about fly back to my place I think.”

Kate almost asked why there and not the apartment they shared but pushed the question aside. Right now she was more than happy to go with whatever Kara wanted. “Should I meet you there or do you need some time?”

Kara reached out a hand and the small, quiet laugh was the most beautiful sound Kate had ever heard. “Come with me.”


	6. Chapter 6

Kate woke up alone in Kara’s bed and her first instinct was one of panic. The last week had seen sleep very hard to come by and for a moment she was right back in that living nightmare. She swept the room and saw her wife sitting quietly on the large windowsill, looking out over the city. Kate threw the sheets back and padded over, not bothering too much with trying to be stealthy as she was, after all, sneaking up on someone who could hear a bubble burst ten thousand feet below the surface of the ocean.

“What’s wrong?” Kate asked and was relieved to see Kara reach a hand up to her and invite her down. Kate slipped behind the Kryptonian, sliding a hand beneath her legs and ‘lifting’ her up to make room. Of course Kara was flying rather than Kate actually picking her up but to anyone watching the movement was so instinctive they’d never be able to spot the difference. Kara leant back, resting her head on Kate’s shoulder and sighing happily at her warmth.

“How badly will you sulk if I say nothing?”

“Well I’m not making breakfast, that’s for sure.”

“Oh.” Kara went quiet for a few long minutes and Kate let her work through whatever was troubling her.

“Kate… I could have killed you today.” The words were almost a sob and Kate pulled her closer, letting one hand drift across Kara’s stomach to snug her in to Kate’s lap.

“No you couldn’t.” Kate whispered through the blonde hair, her lips brushing Kara’s ear. “You never would.”

“I dropped you into a lake of lava!”

“Because I told you to. You *trusted* me enough to drop me into a lake of lava. Which, granted, is not the sort of thing I ever thought I’d consider a relationship goal but…”

Kara laughed despite herself, though it was a rather odd sound mixing with the despair washing over her. 

“You know what I mean! Before you broke through I really was going to kill you for.. for him.”

Kate paused, considering her next words carefully. “I can’t imagine what they put you through but they told me the basics just before they tortured me back in Gotham. I think it was ‘a thousand days of pain in an hour’ or something like that.”

Kara shuddered and pulled Kate’s arms tighter around her. “Undersold it. And failed to mention making me see you dying over and over again when I failed to save you. And… and…” She swallowed, close to tears. “And only when you died did the pain stop. Just for a moment. Then they’d bring you back, threaten your life and when I went to help it’d start over again.”

“So that’s it…” Kate sighed and wormed her way through the waterfall of golden locks to kiss Kara’s neck. “You know my birthday’s coming up in a couple of weeks, right?”

“Huh? I mean, yes, I know, of course I know but why…?”

“And you know how you always complain about having to buy gifts for someone who can buy the whole store?”

“Umm…. yes?”

“And you know how you always want to ask me what I want but don’t want to because it makes it seem like you don’t know what I want?”

“…. I think so, yes?” Kara blinked as she tried to deal with so many wants in a single sentence.

“Well there’s just one thing I want this year. That’s it. One thing.”

“O…kay?”

“Stop blaming yourself for me being in danger.”

“I don’t…”

“Yeah you do. You know you do. And I get it! I worry about you too! And, for the record, don’t stop worrying, I like knowing someone’s got my back. Plus you look spectacular flying to the rescue. But this is a dangerous business we’ve chosen and I went into it with my eyes wide open. I choose to do this and you better believe there’s no better reason for doing it than you.”

Kara was quiet as she thought about the request then nodded slowly. “Deal. Umm, happy birthday?”

“Thank you my love.” Kate’s lips dipped down again and trailed small kisses up Kara’s neck. 

“Mmmmm, that’s good.” Kara hesitated then plowed ahead. “How do you always know the right thing to say?”

“Because I know you of course.”

“Maybe you don’t know me as well as you think you do.” Kara’s voice was suddenly small and frightened but Kate had to resist temptation to roll her eyes.

“Oh really? That’s what you think? Okay, fine….” Kate held up her right hand, fingers spread out before Kara’s eyes. Slowly she let her little, ring and middle finger curl up until just her thumb and index finger were left rubbing slowly together. “Let’s see if you’re right about that shall we?”

“What are you… ohhhhhhhggggg….” Kara shivered as Kate let her right hand dip down and slip under the silk shirt that made up the top part of Kara’s pyjamas. She let the thumb and finger trail across the smooth skin of Kara’s stomach tracing the outline of her abs before circling her navel.

“I’m proving to you just how well I know you my love.” Kate whispered in Kara’s ear as she shifted around to wrap her legs around the Kryptonian’s thighs to help hold her in place. “Just relax and enjoy the ride.”

“How does…. does…. Ohmygggggg…. Does this ppprove thhhattttttt?” Kara’s hips bucked as Kate’s finger slid across her waist.

“Just wait….” The hand started to journey up, sliding slowly over Kara’s left side but still only letting the thumb and one finger touch her. Kate’s movements were torturously slow but guided so effectively that the small part of Kara’s mind that wasn’t busy melting into pure sensation wondered if Kate had gained Kryptonian senses in the last week or two.

“Ohh that’s good….” Kara was practically purring as Kate’s hand traced up her side, following the gentle curves of her ribs before starting to circle her breasts. 

“Which is the point.” Kate sighed into Kara’s hair as she lifted her thumb away from Kara’s skin, letting just the pad of a single fingertip glide from the soft peak of her right breast down through the valley and back up to her left side. “I know you as well as I know myself.”

The finger started to trace lazy circles gradually spiralling in towards the rock hard nipple but never seeming to quite get there. Kara found her breath coming in short, sharp pants as her body trembled from the teasing pleasure. 

“I know how you move. How you react. How you think and feel. I know your soul and it is beautiful.” Kate’s voice was low and sultry adding to the spell she was weaving over the stunning blonde squirming in her lap. “And you want to know the really amazing thing?”

“T… this isn’t it?” Kara asked dreamily before letting out a whine of disappointment as the finger slipped back down the slope to journey across and start the slow, spiralling tease on her right side.

“No.” Somehow Kate made those two letters do the work of an entire evening of seduction as she breathed the word so gently it was only the tiny tickle of her breath on Kara’s neck that told her it had been said at all.

“What then?”

“When we’re lying in bed together and you fall asleep first sometimes I’ll just lie there watching you. The softness of your smile, the way you breathe… everything that makes you, you. And sooner or later the same thing happens…”  
It took Kara five goes to get the next word past her lips, mainly as Kate had started flicking that single damned finger back and forth, sending little trails of sparks flashing through Kara’s body as she somehow managed to hit every last erogenous spot no matter how small on both breasts without once so much as grazing her nipples.

“What….? What happens?”

“I realise you feel the same way about me. That you love me as much as I love you. And it’s all I can do not to cry with happiness.”

Kara whimpered as the words mixed with the devastating tease to leave her writhing between Kate’s thighs. She turned her head as far as she could, offering up her lips to the woman who’d crossed a universe to find her. Kate dipped down… and stopped the tiniest fraction of an inch from Kara’s mouth.

“Want to know the even more amazing thing?” Kate asked with an evil smile that would have turned Kara on even more if she was far enough away to see it.

“Kate!”

“Well do you?”

“Just kiss me! Please!”

“Do you?”

“YES!”

Kate chuckled and it was the most wonderful sound Kara had ever heard. “You forgot about my thumb.”

As Kate closed the tiny distance between them and let her tongue dive into Kara’s more than willing mouth she reached out and pinched Kara’s right nipple, hard, between her thumb and finger. Of course to a Kryptonian it wasn’t quite the same as a human so Kate put as much pressure as she could behind the movement and was rewarded with a shaking Kara in her lap and the sounds of an unexpected climax echoing around the room despite being muffled by their kiss.

Kate kept the kiss going until Kara’s cries died down then reluctantly pulled back. Instantly Kara whirled in her arms, her hands going either side of Kate’s shoulders to effectively pin her in place against the window frame. There was a burning need in Kara’s eyes that almost did to Kate what a well timed pinch had done for Kara. But there was one more thing Kate had to do first…

“Still think I don’t know you?”

“Maybe. Tell me what I’m thinking.” Kara growled her hips grinding against Kate in barely-restrained impatience. Despite wanting nothing more than to tear Kara’s pyjamas off and ravish her until the universe ended Kate was still Kate and couldn’t quite resist one last little tease by pretending to study her wife while locked in deep concentration.

“I’d say… you want to throw me on the bed and spend the next hour or ten in a sixty nine? Though it could also be a desperate desire to be evil and spank me until I scream for teasing you like that, hard to tell.”

“The first one!” Kara slipped her arms around Kate’s slim frame and sped them both back to the waiting bed. “But the second sounds fun, especially if you don’t do a good job.”

“Me? Not do a good job at going down on the most beautiful woman in the universe? Unlikely.” Kate smirked and it turned out to be one tease too many,

“Up.”

“Huh?”

“Up. Not down. I’m definitely on top tonight!” Kara said forcefully before giving Kate the biggest smile the Gotham billionaire had ever seen followed by the best kiss of her life then nothing mattered but the bed below her and her wife above.


	7. Chapter 7

Kara stirred happily in the mess of sheets and snuggled deeper into the warmth. Kate smiled as she watched her wife relax, saw her start to come back to herself. It would take some time, she knew, and at some point they’d likely need to at least talk about what had happened during Kara’s ‘conversion’ on Apokolips but not now. No, that could wait a long, long time until Kara was ready. 

Kate padded through to the kitchen, the early morning sunlight stretching across the floor to great her as she quietly flipped open the cupboards. Kara always had a pretty full pantry as thanks to her metabolism she could easily chow down a week’s worth of food in one meal if she wanted to or. Or just wasn’t paying attention, either way. Breakfast was proving somewhat tricky though as there was very little in the way of fresh food and Kate felt like cereal or fruit just wasn’t enough of a celebration. She was debating trying to slip out to the grocery store a block over that always seemed to be open when a sudden idea struck her.

She flipped open the furthest cupboard from the bedroom and stretched up to the top shelf. Her fingers slid along the familiar cool metal box and she carefully pulled it down. Flipping open the catches she took the top off and grinned in triumph. There, still fresh thanks to the alien storage tech that would likely get her in trouble with Alex when she found it missing from the DEO archive, was the remaining quarter of Kara’s Earth Birthday cake. Kate had taken particular sadistic pleasure in the moment when the love of her life realised not even her bottomless stomach was a match for that many calories and had been forced to concede defeat. The weeks of planning, not to mention convincing the bakery that had prepared it she wasn’t completely crazy or plotting sugar-related murder when they saw what she wanted, had definitely been worth it.

She eased it out and flicked a knife up from a nearby block, plucking it deftly from the air and slicing the cake in two. Not two equal halves or anything so foolish, if anything she probably left Kara with about four fifths of the sugar-laden monster, but that was about right under the circumstances. She was just about to slide the pieces onto a couple of plates when she thought she saw something out of the corner of her eye. She turned and yelled in surprise.

An instant later Kara was by her side, silk pyjamas flapping from the speed of her travel. Together they stared in shock at the cloaked figure standing by the couch. It couldn’t be… they knew it was an absolute impossibility and yet the reality of the situation was undeniable. Kate carefully lowered the knife from throwing position, the remains of the cake frosting still hanging grimly to the blade as Kara took a step towards their unexpected visitor.

“Oliver?”

“Hello Kara.” The voice was that of their friend, though there was a slightly odd echo to it that sat on the very edge of hearing as if slightly out of sync with the universe. “It’s good to see you again.”

“How… how are you here? You sacrificed yourself to reboot the universe!”

“It’s… complicated.”

“Try hard.” Kate suggested, stepping forward to bring herself into striking range with the knife. “This isn’t the day to be all mysterious about a dead friend of ours mysteriously appearing in our apartment.”

Oliver blinked, seemingly surprised at the threat then slowly raised his hands as if being arrested while stepping back to place his back against the door. “You’re right. Sorry. Doors haven’t really been a concern recently.”

“Still not hearing an explanation.” Kate growled and alongside her she felt Kara settle into a more tense stance, mirroring her wife’s suspicion. 

“Short version: when the multiverse was reset I was… split. Became a part of all realities able to watch and… perform my duty but not directly interact outside of that.”

“Getting *really* tired of the evasive phrasing. What, exactly, is your ‘duty’?”

Oliver suddenly looked worried and glanced back and forth between the two women. “Umm… judge the wicked and deliver vengeance.”

Instantly Kara’s eyes turned red and she moved a little closer to Kate. “You’d better explain why you’re here right now.” She said the words casually but it was clear she was willing to throw him across the planet if need be.

“I need your help.”

“To deliver vengeance? Not something that Oliver would have thought I’d be interested in.” Kara pointed out and the casualness was rapidly bleeding out of her voice replaced with something much more dangerous.

“No, to help me remember my humanity.”

That answer was unexpected enough that both women took a step back and settled down a little.

“What do you mean?” Kara asked cautiously.

Oliver sighed and slowly lowered his hands, suddenly looking tired. “The Spectre bonded to me after I died, gave me the power to fight the anti-monitor and restore the universes. It’s… well, as I said, it’s complicated but think of it as the spirit of vengeance. It attaches to a human host who can help guide its hand and provide a sense of morality. Normally that’s not a problem but with the universes falling out of balance it’s like having parts of myself going missing.”

“Woah, wait a minute, back up. What’s that ‘universes out of balance’ part?” Kate said. 

“Well…” Oliver suddenly looked worried and actually fiddled with the edge of his cloak. “You probably think that the multiverse went away, that Earth-Prime is all that’s left. But… the truth is…”

“Oh no, there’s still a multiverse out there.” Kara said casually.

“Yeah, we’ve been to, what, three different realities in the last couple of years?” Kate asked the Kryptonian.

“Uh, four actually. There was a bit of side-trip when Carol dropped by the last time.”

“And I’m finding out about this now, why?”

“I was going to tell you when I got to Gotham!”

“Riiiight. Was it the universe of women who worship blonde goddesses?”

“No!”

“Good, I hate competition.” Kate joked. “Okay, we’ll pick this up later. Uh, Oliver, are you okay?”

They both turned to see Oliver looking back and forth between the two with his jaw hanging open. “You… you know? You’ve travelled…?”

“Umm, yes?” Kara said with a shrug. “What’s the big deal, we used to do it all the time before Crisis.”

“That should be impossible.”

“When’s that ever stopped us before?” Kate said with a smirk.

“Good point.” Oliver conceded. “Alright, well, that makes things easier. Basically different realities still exist but the barriers between them are much stronger. More importantly there’s some that are … let’s call them structural. Without them the rest cannot stand.”

“This seems like poor design.” Kate observed with a depressing insight into what was coming. 

“The universe doesn’t really let us have a say in that.” Oliver pointed out with a hint of exasperation that made him seem much more like the man they’d known. 

“Let me guess, there’s something wrong with those universes?” Kara asked.

“Yes. I need your help to ensure judgement is fair and brought to those that deserve it.”

“Why us?” Kate asked quietly.

“I suspect the Spectre knew you were aware of the multiverse. For myself… I trust both of you and this will not be an easy task. For it to succeed we will need the two of you to bring your own experiences and perspectives to the events we will observe.”

“Okay…” Kate thought for a moment, glancing at Kara. “I’m assuming that a mission to save the multiverse… again… is something you’re interested in my love?”

“Well we *do* live in it after all, be rude not to.”

Kate laughed and shook her head. “I was hoping we’d get at least a day off though.”

“Hero’s work is never done.”

“Isn’t that the truth?” Kate sighed. “Wonder if that’s why Bruce bailed on Gotham, maybe he just really needed a holiday.”

“When we get back we’ll make some alone time, promise.” Kara said and the earnestness melted Kate’s heart just as easily as that first smile had done so long ago. “You and me back on honeymoon island for a while. Kal can cover things in the world. Oh, and this time I’m not bothering with the bikini.”

“Oh you drive a hard bargain.” Kate said with a wicked grin at the thought of a week or two on a beach from paradise with a naked Kara slinking out of the ocean. “Alright Oliver, we’re in, do we need to get dressed or what?”

“I can take care of that.” Oliver offered his hands to them and without hesitation both Supergirl and Batwoman took hold. “And thank you both.”

There was a moment of silence then the world around them shimmered and twisted to become a mass of swirling colour and light. There was no sense of movement yet as the patterns stretched out and reformed into solid shapes even Kara suddenly felt a moment of exhaustion as if she’d been travelling for days without rest. It passed quickly as the shapes formed details and they found themselves standing on a hillside overlooking a beautiful valley. Running lazily down its centre was a crystal clear river while gentle sweeps and falls of smaller hills gave way to lush grasslands. 

“Wow…” Kara breathed, the sight even more spectacular coming so soon after the ruin and fire of Apokolips. 

“Yeah, that about sums it up.” Kate agreed before a sudden realisation hit her. “Hey, wait a minute!”

“What? What is… oh.” Kara took a quick look at her wife then a glance down at her own body in confusion. She was dressed casually in jeans and a t-shirt, her glasses on her face and hair pulled back into a ponytail. Kate, on the other hand, was clad in the Batsuit complete with cowl.

“Oh I’m going to kill him, if I’ve got to be in full costume then so should y… uh… where’s Ollie?” Kate asked and Kara spun around. Sure enough, no matter how hard she stretched her senses she couldn’t find a single sign of their spiritual tour guide anywhere.

“Great start.” Kate muttered. “I really should know better than to let Oliver Queen do the planning.”

Kara went to reply when there was an enormous explosion from further up the hill. Without a moment’s hesitation they both scrambled up it. Reaching the crest they instinctively ducked into cover behind a handy boulder and stared at the large plateau. On the right side were seemingly endless lines of robotic humanoid forms, exposed cables and glowing green eyes giving them a creepy skeletal feel. On their chests that same green light glowed in three circles forming an inverted pyramid, two on top and one beneath linked by silver lines.

Facing them was a much smaller force of humans, most in battered green and grey armour and brandishing a variety of weapons from guns to shock sticks. Their ranks were boosted by a number of large spherical robots on three spidery legs and at their head a blonde woman stood calmly facing the approaching death. She too wore armour but hers was red and white, as if trying to draw attention to herself in the drab colours of her soldiers. She held a sword in her hand and seemingly without a care in the world raised it to point at the robotic army. Her voice rang out in the clear air and both Kate and Kara felt the command within it as she called her forces to battle.

“For Etheria!”

**Author's Note:**

> And so we come to the end of 'Season 3' of this series, hope everyone enjoyed it and maybe, just maybe, there were some surprises along the way! 
> 
> A quick note on what's likely coming up in 'Season 4' (assuming all goes according to plan). Basically, a season of crossover / elsewhere episodes! The sort of thing that makes TV execs weep from both budget and copyright issues! The last line should be a hint at where we're going first and make at least one of you happy ;-) 
> 
> The bad news is I'm not 100% about the delivery schedule. The real world ate up my hard-won week's worth of buffer so we're back to real time writing! We'll see how it goes but there may be some... umm... let's call it the equivalent of two part episodes coming up. Could have been worse, for a while there I was considering making this a two-parter with the week-long break coming at the end of chapter 4. But seeing as how all the CW shows basically did exactly that thanks to their own real world problems it seemed harsh.


End file.
